Method of treating wool with organic silicon halides to render same water repellent



Apnl 14, 1964 E. ROBBART 3,129,054

METHODVOF'TREATING'WOOL WITH ORGANIC SILICON HALIDES TO RENDER SAME WATER REPELLENT Filed Nov. 21, 1960 EXHAUST wow. l8 TO ROVING YARN L I DRIER AI i |6 ORGANO R SILICON (DRY HEATED) HALIDE INVENTOR. EDWARD ROBBART y/ w M ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofitice 3,129,054 Patented Apr. 14, 1964 3,129,054 METHOD OF TREATING WGOL WITH ORGANIC SILICON HALIDES T RENDER SAME WATER REPELLENT Edward Robbart, 321 Fairmont Ave, Milton, Mass. Filed Nov. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 70,509 8 Claims. (Cl. 8128) This invention relates to the treatment of wool to impart water repellency and resistance to shrinkage, as generally described in pending application, Serial No. 733,- 487, filed May 7, 1958, now US. Patent No. 2,961,338, and is directed particularly to the treatment of Wool prior to its being conformed into a textile fabric.

The above-identified application points out that water repellency and shrinkage resistance may be durably imparted to wool by drying the wool to reduce its regain to less than percent and then contacting the wool with an atmosphere comprising the vapors of an organo silicon halide. By this treatment the organo silicon halide reacts with the wool to impart water repellency and shrink resistance, and also forms hydrogen halide, a large proportion of which is held in the wool. It is generally desirable that this be removed from the wool after processing; where the wool is in the form of a yarn or fabric, the hydrogen halide on it may easily be removed by imrnersing the yarn or fabric in a mildly alkaline aqueous solution and then drying the wool.

The present invention is directed to the treatment of wool before it has been formed into yarn, whereby the individual wool fibers may be more thoroughly and. uniformly treated because of the relatively loose and permeable nature of the wool prior to spinning. When working with yarns and fabrics, the treatment tends to be greater in the regions adjacent the outer surfaces of the yarn or fabric unless the treatment is carried on for a relatively long period to permit thorough penetration of the organo silicon halide vapors into the interior of the material. In the present. invention, on the other hand, wool in the form of roving or other equivalent loose open permeable condition, and preferably formed into continuous lengths of a self-sustaining nature, is brought into contact with the atmosphere or organo silicon halide vapors which immediately permeates the entire body of the material and contacts all of the fibers, thereby imparting the water repellency and shrink resistance characteristics of the treatment to each fiber individually, In this treatment the hydrogen halide that is formed tends to be held by the material, but may be removed by simply passing a current of gas through the wool, typically by directing a blast of warm dry air against the wool as it emerges from the treating apparatus. Thus, although wool will ordinarily retain significant quantities of hydrogen halide through the formation of hydrogen halide salts with the amine groups and through absorption, presumably through combination with the water normally present, the treatment with the organo silicon halide apparently places the wool in such condition that the hydrogen halide is not durably retained and may be removed physical-ly by blowing it from the wool.

This invention is described in greater detail below with reference to its presently preferred embodiment.

In the drawing is shown a schematic diagram illustrating the various steps of the process.

According to the invention, wool roving, or other continuous lengths of loosely arrayed unspun wool fibers 10, formed in conventional manner, are first passed through a drying chamber 12 wherein a warm dry atmosphere is maintained suflicient to bring the regain to less than 10 percent moisture based on the dry weight of the wool. Preferably the regain is brought well below 10 percent, e.g. to between 3 and 7 percent, depending on the degree of Water repellency and shrinkage resistance desired. Generally speaking the more moisture present, the greater amount of organo silicon halide vapors will react with the wool. Following the drier the wool is passedv through a chamber 14, such as that described in co-pending application, Serial No. 748,905, filedJuly 16-, 1958, now US. Patent No. 2,995,470; in which is supplied an atmosphere or organo silicon halide, preferably in the form of an aerosol dispersion of liquid particles in dry air. The organo silicon halide may be any of those described in application, Serial No. 733,487, filed May 7, 1958, now US Patent No. 2,961,338; and preferably the mixture of methyl chloro silanes thereindescribed is used. Following exposure of the wool in the chamber 14, the wool is passed by a nozzle, or series of nozzles, from which a current of warm dry air, e.g., 200 F. and 30 percent relative humidity, are directed against the wool preferably at an angle such that the wool is carried from the treating chamber 14 by the current of air. A hood 18 may be provided over the air jets to carry away the hydrogen halide vapors. Following this treatment the wool is further processed in the conventional manner, by being spun into yarn. or compacted into felt or in any other conventional manner. It may be spun and dyed andultimately formed into fabrics as the process does notimpair its ability to be so treated. The products ultimately formed will be found to be repellent to the application of water, but may be wetted and soaked if squeezed and pressed, particularly if soap or wetting agents are present. A most significant improvement to the wool realized by the process herein described is its ability to withstand Washing in hot water and with considerable agitation, as in an ordinary household automatic washing machine, without shrinking significantly. Goods formed of wool treated in accordance with this invention will suffer an initial shrinkage of perhaps 2 or 3 percent upon washing under conditions that would cause untreated wool to shrink to half its linear dimension.

The advantages of the instant process are partly inherent in the treatment of the wool with the organo silicon halide, but also derive partly from the thorough treatment afforded by treating wool in its loose and permeable condition. A significant improvement is also realized by the elimination of the step of neutralizing the wool in an aqueous alkaline solution to remove the hydrogen halide, and the consequent economy of not having to dry the wetted material. It should here be appreciated that in the treatment of roving or other loosely combined lengths of material, a washing and drying step would be quite difficult to carry out in a manner that would not disrupt the loosely combined mass of fibers.

Although this invention has been described with reference to its presently preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that numerous modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and familiar with this disclosure and that such may be made without departing from the scope of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The method of treating wool comprising contacting wool fibers having a moisture regain of less than 10 percent based on the dry weight of the wool with an atmosphere comprising vapors of an organo silicon halide until the wool is rendered water repellent, whereby hydrogen halide is formed on said fibers, removing said fibers from contact with said atmosphere, and passing a current of gas through said fibers sufiicient to remove said hydrogen halide from said fibers.

2. The method of treating wool comprising contacting a mass of loosely arranged unspun fibers of wool having a moisture regain of less than 10 percent based on the dry weight of the wool with an atmosphere comprising 3 vapors of an organo silicon halide until the wool is rendered water repellent, whereby hydrogen halide is formed on said fibers, removing said fibers from contact with said atmosphere, and passing a current of gas through said fibers sufficient to remove said hydrogen halide from said fibers.

3. The method of treating wool comprising passing a continuous length of loosely arranged unspun fibers of wool having a moisture regain of less than 10 percent based on the dry weight of the wool continuously into a treating zone having an atmosphere comprising vapors of an organo silicon halide and maintaining said fibers in said zone until the wool is rendered water repellent and hydrogen halide is formed on said fibers, passing said fibers from said zone and directing a current of gas through said fibers sufiicient to remove said hydrogen halide from said fibers, said current having an upward component and a component in the same direction as the fibers are passed whereby said fibers are at least partially carried from said zone by said current.

4. The method of treating wool comprising passing wool roving having a moisture regain of less than 10 percent based on the dry weight of the wool continuously into a treating zone having an atmosphere comprising vapors of an organo silicon halide and maintaining said roving in said zone until the wool is rendered water repellent and hydrogen halide is formed on said roving, passing said roving from said zone and directing a current of gas through said roving sufiicient to remove said hydrogen halide from said fibers, said current having an upward component and a component in the same direction as the roving is passed whereby said roving is at least partially carried from said zone by said current.

5. The method of treating wool comprising contacting wool fibers having a moisture regain of between about 3 percent and about 7 percent based on the dry weight of the wool with an atmosphere comprising vapors of an organo silicon halide until the wool is rendered water repellent, whereby hydrogen halide is formed on said fibers, removing said fibers from contact with said atmosphere, and passing a current of gas through said fibers sufiicient to remove said hydrogen halide from said fibers.

6. The method of treating wool comprising contacting a mass of loosely arranged unspun fibers of wool having a moisture regain of between about 3 percent and about 7 percent based on the dry weight of the wool with an atmosphere comprising vapors of an organo silicon halide until the wool is rendered water repellent, whereby hydrogen halide is formed on said fibers, removing said fibers from contact with said atmosphere, and passing a current of gas through said fibers sufficient to remove said hydrogen halide from said fibers.

7. The method of treating wool comprising passing a continuous length of loosely arranged unspun fibers of wool having a moisture regain of between about 3 percent and about 7 percent based on the dry weight of the Wool continuously into a treating zone having an atmosphere comprising vapors of an organo silicon halide and maintaining said fibers in said zone until the wool is rendered water repellent and hydrogen halide is formed on said fibers, passing said fibers from said zone and directing a current of gas through said fibers sufiicient to remove said hydrogen halide from said fibers, said current having an upward component and a component in the same direction as the fibers are passed whereby said fibers are at least partially carried from said zone by said current.

8. The method of treating wool comprising passing wool roving having a moisture regain of between about 3 percent and about 7 percent based on the dry weight of the wool continuously into a treating zone having an atmosphere comprising vapors of an organo silicon halide and maintaining said roving in said zone until the wool is rendered water repellent and hydrogen halide is formed on said roving, passing said roving from said zone and directing a current of gas through said roving sufficient to remove said hydrogen halide from said fibers, said current having an upward component and a component in the same direction as the roving is passed whereby said roving is at least partially carried from said zone by said current.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,306,222 Patnode Dec. 22, 1942 2,961,338 Robbart Nov. 22, 1960 2,995,470 Robbart Aug. 8, 1961 

1. THE METHOD OF TREATING WOOD COMPRISING CONTACTING WOOL FIBERS HAVING A MOISTURE REGAIN OF LESS THAN 10 PERCENT BASED ON THE DRY WEIGHT OF THE WOOL WITH AN ATMOSPHERE COMPRISING VAPORS OF AN ORGANO SILICON HALIDE UNTIL THE WOOL IS RENDERED WATER REPELLENT, WHEREBY HYDROGEN HALIDE IS FORMED ON SAID FIBERS, REMOVING SAID FIBERS FROM CONTACT WITH SAID ATMOSPHERE, AND PASSING A CURRENT OF GAS THROUGH SAID FIBERS SUFFICIENT TO REMOVE SAID HYDROGEN HALIDE FROM SAID FIBERS. 